To the editor:

Having retired after working over 45 years in the heavy electrical and construction industry and living on Whidbey for 41 years I will vote no on the PUD.

I am happy with Puget Sound Energy’s dependable service. I see no need to condemn and acquire Puget Sound Energy’s proven transmission, distribution service and control system and turn it over to a “new” small government group with no experience.

Any time you have elected officials with “full” authority to impose taxes, issue bonds, set rates, commit resources and the only control the people have is to vote them out after their term, is in fact a government entity.

There will be many years of very high-cost studies, surveys and litigation with lots of lawyers, consultants, managers etc., all with their hands deep in our pockets.

Who’s property will they condemn to set up their “pole yard(s)”?

There will be a requirement to have, store and maintain large quantities of replacement transformers, poles, oil and air breakers, miles of cable and all the substation materials that are required to maintain the system under normal operation. These are all very high-dollar materials and equipment that Puget Sound Energy already has in hand.

Another high-dollar item will be to take over Puget Sound Energy’s very efficient electronic metering acquisition system. There is no longer a live meter reader with a clipboard that looks and logs your power usage each period for billing. A location will have to be acquired, built, set up and commissioned to read the meters and monitor the overall system.

The thing that bothers me the most along with the increased cost is when, not if, a very large storm causes multiple areas of heavy system damage, how will the PUD react and where will it acquire all the replacement materials and dozens of line crews and equipment it will take to restore service.

Puget Sound Energy has all this in hand. They also have outsourced line crews, tree and debris removal contracts that are only a phone call away along with their own crews. We would be without power and water for weeks, not days. Repair costs for one big storm would be in the millions. There will be more than one in a season, as there normally is.

Guess where the PUD will have to recoup all those dollars; your pocketbook.

When the above takes place, what happens when the transmission line is disrupted on the Puget Sound Energy side near the interface of the Puget Sound Energy/PUD service. The power has to pass over Puget Sound Energy’s system and they would have no incentive to get Whidbey back on line before getting their own customers up and running.

Even if the PUD could purchase BPA power, which would be many years off, the power would have to arrive via Puget Sound Energy’s transmission system. I’m sure they will charge a fee which will add to the KWH cost. The PUD does not and will not have a generation system of its own in our lifetime, green or otherwise. PUDs were a great idea 50 years ago, not now!

There are many more reasons it’s a no-brainer. Vote no on PUD!

Bill Woodland

Clinton